The Raven and the Owl
by bluepixy13
Summary: A skilled rogue must team up with an arrogant bard in order to complete a dangerous job. Both of them have secrets, and between those and the complications of growing feelings threaten to derail their plan. Good thing neither of them are willing to accept failure. AU story, Jareth/Sarah pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.- **A plot that fermented rather quickly after a discussion within the LFFL group on Facebook. I must warn now that updates will probably be slow on this one, since I REALLY do need to work on finishing my other fics first. But, maybe some of you won't mind waiting lol.

The Contract

A woman sat, tapping her fingers impatiently, empty mug of ale in front of her. The woman's dark hair was pulled back in a half bun, and her green eyes scanned the establishment constantly. There were more popular taverns she could go to, she mused, but The Poisoned Peach drew less attention from guardsmen patrols. The chair next to her was pulled back, and she barely glanced as a large orc sat next to her.

"Where's the boss?" he asked.

"Nice to see you too, Ludo," she replied casually. Truth be told, she had a soft spot for the orc. He had been an outcast, due to his unusally orange colored skin, and his large, curved horns. _Us black sheep have to stick together,_ she thought. "Boss should be in here soon. Must be a high profile target if he thinks I need a bodyguard." She'd only worked with Ludo a few times, but she appreciated his efficient use of his strength.

Ludo shrugged, replying, "He hinted as much. Though not sure you really need the help, Raven." He ordered an ale as the server came round.

Another chair was pulled up, and Raven grumbled, "What took you so long, Hoggle?"

An aging dwarf with no beard huffed at her, eyebrows raised. "I had to make sure everything was in order. Without me, you'd be out of a job, remember Sarah?" He was speaking softly, but she slammed her fist down in front of him.

"Do NOT call me that. EVER. You're the one who insisted we meet at this time. And you'd better remember that you wouldn't have any coin without me." Hoggle shuffled in his seat uncomfortably, and she knew she'd won the argument. "Now out with it," she said in a calmer tone. "Which soul am I assisting in relieving them of their excess?"

Hoggle took a swig of his own ale, then replied nervously, "Queen Karen of Williamsburg."

Raven stilled, till both Hoggle and Ludo wondered if she breathed. Finally, she spoke again. "Why her. Why now."

Hoggle splayed his hands, explaining, "She's been dabbling in dark magic, or so the rumors go. My sources claim she has a powerful artifact in her possession, called the Siren's Flute. Not sure what all of it's properties are, but anything powerful is bound to be bad in the hands of a dark sorceress."

"Do you actually care about what she does to people, or the potential value of this object?"

"I've heard she has plans for the boy," Hoggle practically whispered.

A steely glint came into her eyes as she swore, "Fuck. I thought he'd be safe, being the youngest and all. What happened to Kyle? He was supposed to be her heir."

"He's disappeared. No word of him has been heard."

"Double fuck." Raven stole Hoggle's ale, taking a big drink. "Alright, I'm in. But I'll need to make absolutely sure she won't see me, and if she does, that she won't recognize me."

Hoggle licked his lips. "That's why you'll need a third member."

As if on que, the doors opened to reveal a tall figure. He strutted into the tavern as if he owned the place, his blonde hair wild, and eyes glinting with mischief. There was a lute strapped to his back. His shirt was dark blue, his breeches a tad too tight, and he grinned when he spotted the small party. Raven groaned, and Ludo frowned.

"I don't normally work with elves. Too obnoxious," the orc stated.

"That's not an elf, Ludo," Raven said. "THAT is a fae, as evidenced by the extremely elongated ears. They don't usually like socializing with normal society, so I have to wonder how our esteemed employer just happened to find one for hire."

"I'm sure your dwarf wishes to keep our deal a secret, as do I," the fae remarked cheekily, with a wink as he turned a chair backwards, straddling it as he sat down. Raven noted that one of his eyes had a dilated pupil, giving him an even more exotic look. "Jareth's the name, and I'm a bard by trade, if you hadn't guessed."

"How the hell am I supposed to sneak around Willaimsburg Castle with Mr. Fancy Tightpants towing along?!" Raven hissed at Hoggle. Ludo chuckled.

Jareth placed a hand over his heart, affecting an offended demeanor. "You wound me, Precious. I'm highly skilled, and can be as quiet as a mouse when need be."

"My name is Raven, not Precious." She turned to Hoggle, narrowing her eyes as she poked him in the chest. "You'd better make sure you've got everything in order, and if this goes sour, I'm holding you responsible." She tossed some coins on the table, then said, "I'll be back here in a week. That should give you plenty of time. See you then." With that, she strode out.

There was a moment of silence at the table before Jareth spoke. "She's a little spitfire."

Hoggle sighed. "This job is...personal for her. She'll come to see your value soon."

"Oh, I'm not complaining. I rather like a woman who can stand up for herself. She's rather attractive, as well."

Hoggle laughed, almost choking on his ale. "Good luck with trying to woo her into your bed. She doesn't take kindly to flirtations, and you're more likely than not to get a knife to your crown jewels for your trouble."

A smirk spread across Jareth's face. "Sounds like a challenge."

"Suit yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Now what can you tell me about this target?"


	2. Three's a Crowd

When Raven entered the tavern a week later, Hoggle was already waiting for her. She sat down, ordered a chicken pie and an ale, and asked, "Is everything set?"

"Of course, I never leave anything to chance. You'll be riding with a group of merchants for most of the way, which will waylay any suspicions."

"How big of a group?"

"A small caravan, consisting of three wagons. Two of the wagons are singly owned, but one is a couple and their daughter."

"How will the sleeping arrangements work? I don't personally mind setting up a tent, but your fae might balk at such a thing."

"The less you worry about him, the better. He'll do his part, and you'll do yours."

"What is the plan, Hoggle, be honest with me here. Because right now, even with mine and Ludo's skills, it's a suicide mission."

He licked his lips. "There's to be a coronation ceremony for Prince Tobias in two weeks time. Jareth has an invitation to be part of the entertainment. There will be festivities, competitions, and magic shows. You can find a way in, I know you. You've waited seven years for this opportunity, you can do it."

"Alright, you've got me there. But there will be heightened security because of the ceremony. I'll need everything you've got supply wise."

"I've already got everything for you. Knew you would ask." He lugged a large pack onto the table.

She flashed him a wide smile. "You're the best, Hoggle."

"Be safe, Raven. And come back rich."

The wagons were waiting in the center of Creektree, the town she resided in currently. It was an unremarkable town in a series of unremarkable towns she had lived in off and on. She liked them for their anonymity, though jobs for her kind were scarce. Thankfully, there was the city of Galen nearby, which is where Hoggle typically had jobs for her. She wouldn't be heading that way today. Instead, she'd be traveling towards Williamsburg. She shuddered at the memories that place brought.

"So, looks like this will be easy enough traveling," came Jareth's voice, far too close to Raven for her liking.

She laughed, moving to add more room between them. "You've obviously never gone through Fiery Forest before. There are all kinds of creatures you don't want to run into. Even the wagon path can be dangerous. Merchants usually hire mercenaries to keep guard, but I'm guessing that's why Ludo is coming along."

"Have you been that way before?"

"Once, years ago. We'd better get going. We have over a week and a half's worth of travel and we can't afford to show up without any time to prepare."

"I look forward to traveling with you, Miss Raven," he smirked suggestively.

She blinked. Men didn't get very far with her when they tried to flirt. They generally realized very quickly that she had no qualms in keeping their heads and other bits in check. Jareth was more handsome than the others who'd attempted to come on to her, but that didn't mean she was game. In fact, she would have to lay down the rules real quick if she wanted to be left alone. "Look, I realize that you're probably used to getting your own way, and I get that it's a fae trait of some sort. But you listen well; I'm not here to keep you company in bed, so try your luck elsewhere."

"You've encountered many of my kind, have you?" He asked it so casually, that she wouldn't have thought anything of it. Yet, there was an underlying anger in his eyes which had her initially balking in fear, until she recognized that the anger wasn't addressed towards her. Perhaps he was an exile, and that explained his desire to be part of this scheme. "Just one, but that was enough," she replied flippantly.

The anger was gone as suddenly as it came, as he chuckled, "Touché. And Precious, I make no promises to stop in my attempts to woo you over."

"My name isn't Precious," she ground out between her teeth.

"Yes, I'm aware, but you do look so fetching when you're upset."

She growled in frustration as she stomped off to get on the wagon, hopefully not the one _he_would be on. Still, a smile tugged at her lips. At least the ride wouldn't be boring.

Ludo strode up to her, asking, "Want me to scare him some, so he'll stop bothering you?"

Her smile turned to a full grin, "No, I don't believe that will be necessary, thank you. It will be amusing to see how he takes constant rejection." Her face morphed into a serious expression as she said, "I do want you to keep an extra sharp eye out, though. If the Queen is using dark magic, then the forest will be even more treacherous."

"You can count on me, Raven."

"Thank you, Ludo, you're the only one I trust right now."

He snorted, "What, not the boss?"

"Hoggle has his own agendas, so no, I don't fully trust him. He's been holding something back about this job, but he's stubborn, so I know he won't tell me. We'll just have to be careful." With that, she adjusted her knife belt more securely to her waist, and climbed on board the wagon


End file.
